Category: Blog

“Strive to enter through the narrow door.” – Jesus of Nazareth In the first post in this 4 part series, we talked about the text in which this saying occurs. (CLICK HERE to read it) In the second post in this 4 part series, we contemplated the idea of “narrowness.” We then talked about the […]

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3 Implications of “Narrowness” In these four posts we are contemplating how to think about Jesus’ telling his listeners that they should “strive to enter through the narrow door. In part one of this series, we considered the importance of the word “strive.” This means continual effort toward something. You’ve never messed up so bad […]

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Sometimes there is a great deal of tension between the way we are and the way we think we’d like to be. Here’s a little concept I’ve come up with that’s given me more shalom (peace) in my life. Perhaps it will give you some, too. It’s a way of eliminating some unnecessary tension in […]

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This cartoon to the right came across my Facebook feed again and I felt compelled to share it. (I’d be pleased to give the artist credit if I could found out who it is). Here’s some things I notice: There is a way in which each is truly right. Each character sees truly and accurately […]

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In the lead up to the parable of the Narrow Door, Jesus gets away with something I almost never do. He doesn’t answer the man’s question. You can read the account in Luke 13:22-30 (CLICK HERE to read it) The man asks Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” What do […]

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I will start this blog post with a confession: I have played Pokemon GO. I am not a hardcore hunter of Pokemon by any means, but I have a few in my Pokedex. I will also admit to you that my son and I have specifically gone out driving for no other reason than to […]

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In this message, Pastor John ties together lessons for life from Solomon, Jesus and Paul. Solomon, who achieved basically every earthly dream — money, sex, power, property, security, reputation — found it empty. Jesus warned us that life does not consist of possessions. And Paul points us the right way by reminding us to set […]

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Every parent wants to raise his or her children well. When I have explained the possibility of accidentally teaching children to lie, I have seen parent’s face light up with recognition. I have seen people place their palms on their cheeks and say, “Oh, my…” So, how can you accidentally teach your child to lie? […]

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Alice Walker, author of “The Color Purple,” once wrote, “‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, and understanding.” Just as science has been confirming the health benefits of forgiveness (see my blog post: A Simple Habit for a Longer, Healthier […]

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“Bitterness is a poison you swallow hoping someone else gets sick.” I don’t know who said this, but it’s true. When you hold onto hurt — when you refuse to forgive — you are the one you are hurting. This has been a spiritual truth for millennia. More recently it has become a scientifically demonstrated […]

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